Sustainable Availability Provision in Distributed Cloud Services

The article is an extension of this paper 1 . It describes methods for dealing with reliability and fault tolerance issues in cloud-based datacenters. These methods mainly focus on the elimination of a single point of failure within any component of the cloud infrastructure, availability of infrastructure and accessibility of cloud services. Methods for providing the availability of hardware, software and network components are also presented. The analysis of the actual accessibility of cloud services and the mapping of a cloud-based datacenter infrastructure with different levels of reliability to the Tier Classification System2 is described. Non-compliance of the actual accessibility with the level of High Availability for cloud web services is unraveled

Surface wave tomography across Afar, Ethiopia: crustal structure at a rift triple-junction zone

The Afar Depression in northeast Africa contains the rift triple-junction between the Nubia, Arabia and Somalia plates. We analyze Rayleigh wave group velocity from 250 regional earthquakes recorded by 40 broadband stations to study the crustal structure across Afar and adjacent plateau regions in northern Ethiopia. The dispersion velocities are inverted to obtain surface wave tomographic maps for periods between 5 and 25 seconds, sensitive to approximately the top 30 km of the lithosphere. The tomographic maps show a significant low dispersion velocity anomaly (>20%) within the upper crust, below the site of recent dyke intrusions (2005–present) in the Dabbahu and Manda-Hararo magmatic segments. Similar low velocity regions are imaged where magma intrusion in the Afar crust has been inferred over the last decade from seismicity or volcanic eruptions. We invert two group velocity curves to compare the S-wave velocity structure of the crust within an active magmatic segment with that of adjacent areas; the active region has a low velocity zone (Vs ∼ 3.2 km/s), between about 6–12 km, which we infer to be due to the presence of partial melt within the lower crust

To the Question of Psychological Well-Being and Greed in a Person

The article examines the relationship between the idea of self-greed as a personality trait that contributes to the best results for themselves, at the expense of others, or by ignoring their needs, and psychological well-being, which is determined from the standpoint of eudemonistic approach. The survey method was used to determine the attitude of the subjects to their own well-being and greed; K. Riff's scale of psychological well-being (adaptation by T. Shevelenkova, P. Fesenko, 2005) to measure actual psychological well-being; methods of studying the semantic space of the concept of "greed" (Yanovska S., Lyutenko R., 2017), methods of statistical data processing. The sample (N = 141) aged 25 to 35 years, residents of Kharkiv, including 83 women and 58 men who had a job during the study, but 31 people worked part-time due to the coronavirus pandemic situation. It was determined that most of the subjects have an average level of psychological well-being and greed. Their ideas about psychological well-being are primarily related to health, material security, opportunities for self-development, independence and confidence in the future. Subjects are characterized as frugal, frugal people who understand moderation. They can share with others if it does not conflict with their own needs. The attitude to greed is ambiguous: most respondents consider greed a negative human trait, but there is also the opinion that greed is a motivating force of society. Significant links have been established between perceptions of one's own greed and a person's psychological well-being. A high level of greed reduces the number of trusting relationships, destroys interpersonal relationships and makes a person dependent. A person's moderate greed helps to increase his control over what is happening around him, creates the conditions and circumstances that are necessary to meet personal needs and achieve goals in problematic and uncertain conditions. The less a person uses others to meet his own needs, the greater his psychological well-being

The Case of Dilated Cardiomiopathy, the Girl of Three Years from the Silver-Rassel Syndrom

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a serious disabling disease with unclear etiology. In some cases, its occurrence is associated with genetic mutations. In this context the case of dilated cardiomyopathy of the three years old girl from the Silver-Russell syndrome is of considerable interest. This is a genetic disorder characterized by numerous anomalies in the symmetry of the body, malnutrition and premature puberty

3-D focused inversion of near-seafloor magnetic data with application to the Brothers volcano hydrothermal system, Southern Pacific Ocean, New Zealand

Author Posting. © American Geophysical Union, 2012. This article is posted here by permission of American Geophysical Union for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Geophysical Research 117 (2012): B10102, doi:10.1029/2012JB009349.We describe and apply a new inversion method for 3-D modeling of magnetic anomalies designed for general application but which is particularly useful for the interpretation of near-seafloor magnetic anomalies. The crust subsurface is modeled by a set of prismatic cells, each with uniform magnetization, that together reproduce the observed magnetic field. This problem is linear with respect to the magnetization, and the number of cells is normally greater than the amount of available data. Thus, the solution is obtained by solving an under-determined linear problem. A focused solution, exhibiting sharp boundaries between different magnetization domains, is obtained by allowing the amplitudes of magnetization to vary between a pre-determined range and by minimizing the region of the 3-D space where the source shows large variations, i.e., large gradients. A regularization functional based on a depth-weighting function is also introduced in order to counter-act the natural decay of the magnetic field intensity with depth. The inversion method has been used to explore the characteristics of the submarine hydrothermal system of Brothers volcano in the Kermadec arc, by inverting near-bottom magnetic data acquired by Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). Different surface expressions of the hydrothermal vent fields show specific vertical structures in their underlying demagnetization regions that we interpret to represent hydrothermal upflow zones. For example, at focused vent sites the demagnetized conduits are vertical, pipe-like structures extending to depths of ~1000 m below the seafloor, whereas at diffuse vent sites the demagnetization regions are characterized by thin and inclined conduits.This contribution was made possible through funding by the New Zealand Foundation for Research, Science and Technology (FRST contract C05X0406) and by the Royal Society of New Zealand by the Marsden Fund (grant GNS1003).2013-04-1

Разработка способа получения производного октреотида для диагностики нейроэндокринных опухолей

Currently the development of technologies for labeling somatostatin with technetium-99m for diagnosing radionuclide neuroendocrine tumors is under way. Somatostatin analogues are binded with technetium99m only by the preliminary addition of a chelating agent. Therefore, it is important to develop a method for preparation of an octreotide derivative by modifying octreotide with precursors: ligands with high chelating ability for its tight binding with technetium-99m. ω-Bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino)aliphatic acids can be used successfully as such precursors.The purpose of the study was to develop a method for obtaining a new octreotide derivative for diagnosing neuroendocrine tumors.Materials and methods. The somatostatin octreotide analogue was used as the object of the study; succinimid-1-yl 6-(bis(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino)hexanoate was used as a chelating agent. Methods of high performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry were used to separate and analyze the synthesized compounds.Results. A method to produce an original octreotide derivative using a succinimid-1-yl 6-(bis(pyridin2-ylmethyl)amino)hexanoate as a chelating agent was proposed. The conditions of analytical and semipreparative HPLC for the analysis and purification of the active octreotide derivative (a monosubstituted derivative of the amino acid residue of D-phenylalanine) were suggested.Conclusion. The synthesized derivative of octreotide has a chelating center for strong binding to technetium-99m in its structure, which can be useful for diagnosing neuroendocrine tumors. Введение. В настоящее время разработка технологии мечения аналогов соматостатина технецием99м (99mTc) для радинуклидной диагностики нейроэндокринных опухолей активно проводится по всему миру. Аналоги соматостатина, к которым относится октреотид, связываются с 99mTc только путем предварительного присоединения к ним хелатирующего агента. Поэтому актуальным является модификация октреотида прекурсорами с высокой хелатирующей способностью для прочного связывания 99mTc. В качестве таких прекурсоров успешно могут применяться ω-бис(пиридин-2- илметил)амино)алифатические кислоты.Цель исследования. Разработка способа получения нового производного октреотида, пригодного для диагностики нейроýндокринных опухолей.Материалы и методы. В качестве объекта исследования использовали октреотид – аналог соматостатина. В качестве бифункционального хелатирующего агента использовали сукцинимид-1-ил 6-(бис(пиридин-2-илметил)амино)гексаноат, синтезированный по модифицированной методике с учетом специфики агента. Для разделения и анализа синтезированных соединений применяли методы высокоýффективной жидкостной хроматографии и масс-спектрометрии.Результаты исследования. Предложен способ получения производного октреотида с применением хелатирующего агента сукцинимид-1-ил 6-(бис(пиридин-2-илметил)амино)гексаноата в среде 10 ммоль PBS (рН = 6,0) с добавлением 20%-го ацетонитрила в течение 24 ч. Разработаны условия для анализа и очистки активного производного октреотида с использованием аналитической и полупрепаративной жидкостной хроматографии.Заключение. Впервые в результате модификации октреотида по остатку D-фенилаланина создан центр хелатирования для технеция-99м на основе ω-бис(пиридин-2-илметил)амино)алифатических кислот. Производное октреотида является перспективным для дальнейшего изучения его функциональной пригодности для диагностики нейроэндокринных опухолей.

Efficacy and safety of oral semaglutide in patients with type 2 diabetes and moderate renal impairment (PIONEER 5): a placebo-controlled, randomised, phase 3a trial

Background: Oral semaglutide is the first oral glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist for glycaemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is commonly associated with renal impairment, restricting treatment options. We aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of oral semaglutide in patients with type 2 diabetes and moderate renal impairment. Methods: This randomised, double-blind, phase 3a trial was undertaken at 88 sites in eight countries. Patients aged 18 years and older, with type 2 diabetes, an estimated glomerular filtration rate of 30–59 mL/min per 1·73 m2, and who had been receiving a stable dose of metformin or sulfonylurea, or both, or basal insulin with or without metformin for the past 90 days were eligible. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) by use of an interactive web-response system, with stratification by glucose-lowering medication and renal function, to receive oral semaglutide (dose escalated to 14 mg once daily) or matching placebo for 26 weeks, in addition to background medication. Participants and site staff were masked to assignment. Two efficacy-related estimands were defined: treatment policy (regardless of treatment discontinuation or rescue medication) and trial product (on treatment without rescue medication) in all participants randomly assigned. Endpoints were change from baseline to week 26 in HbA1c (primary endpoint) and bodyweight (confirmatory secondary endpoint), assessed in all participants with sufficient data. Safety was assessed in all participants who received at least one dose of study drug. This trial is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02827708, and the European Clinical Trials Registry, number EudraCT 2015-005326-19, and is now complete. Findings: Between Sept 20, 2016, and Sept 29, 2017, of 721 patients screened, 324 were eligible and randomly assigned to oral semaglutide (n=163) or placebo (n=161). Mean age at baseline was 70 years (SD 8), and 168 (52%) of participants were female. 133 (82%) participants in the oral semaglutide group and 141 (88%) in the placebo group completed 26 weeks on treatment. At 26 weeks, oral semaglutide was superior to placebo in decreasing HbA1c (estimated mean change of −1·0 percentage point (SE 0·1; −11 mmol/mol [SE 0·8]) vs −0·2 percentage points (SE 0·1; −2 mmol/mol [SE 0·8]); estimated treatment difference [ETD]: −0·8 percentage points, 95% CI −1·0 to −0·6;